Device for cutting the cables of submarine mines



. p 13, 1932- J. H. soLKESz v 1,877,073

DEVICE on CUTTING THE CABLES onsusmxm: umms Filed June 19. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG :4

, 6 a 4 7 a I Wm V lnNciNToR 1. on H' V Patented Sept. 1 3, 1932 UNITED PATENT oFFi E AN HAJO I'SOLKESZ,'OFISOURABAIA, JAVA, DUTCH EAST mums DEVIGEFOR comma TEE CABLES- OF SUBMARINE MINES,

Application filed June 19," '1 93O,.Scria1.N.o. 462,348, and in the Netherlands April 11, 1929.

cable is caught onlyby the jaws theycable' slips between the jaws while the jaws are forced together with the result that the,

jaws are .drawnwith,; great force: in a 'di'-' rection substantially para'llelto their; pivot,

and so thedevice maybe damaged. The cutting device according to the in vention is so constructed that the mine'cable is engaged-and, heldby distinct partsofthe device beforethe cutting jaw or; jaws come into action. The arrangement issuch that no, force acts on the jaws in the direction of their pivots, sot'ha't the mine cable cannot slip along the cutting edges of the jaws and these edges are not damaged;

A form of construction of the invention is shown by way of example in theaccom panying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section 'on theline I-I of'Fig. 2.-.

Fig. 2 is aplan view of a device accord ing to the invention. device shown in Fig. 2. r

Fig. 4 is-a horizontal section on the line INT- Wot Fig. V j Fig. 5 is a front View of the device shown in Fig. 2. y I

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line VIVI of Fig. 2. V Fig. 7 is a plan view of one half of the front part of a submarine equipped with a device according to the invention, and Fig. 8isafront viewof Fig.7.

The device shown in the drawings is intended to be arranged at the port-side ofa submarine and comprises "mainly a pistontl a cylinder 2' and a guide arm 3. The cylinder 2,.which is acted upon by aspring 4, is flattened at the lower side and is provided with a verticalslot a in which a clamp is arranged,,this clamp being formed in one I l piece with two journals or trunnions The p front Wall '7) of the slotv ahas a 'surfa'ce 3 is an inverted, plan view 30f Ithe roughened like a file and serves as a gripping surface against which the mine cable is pressed by the clamp .70. The rear surface 0 'of the vertical slot a is inclined as shown in Fig. 1., and serves to keep the clamp'lc under '55 normal circumstances in its inactiveposition with its, front surface ';0 vertical.

In each of the side walls ofthe' slot a,-an inclined groove 07 of rectangular section is formed. The grooves'd serve as guides for 'co the journals m of the clamp 70. The journals m are appropriately arranged in guide blocks, opposite which, in the lower parts of the slots, similar guide blocks 0 are arranged. I A spring a interposed between the "guide blocks in each of the slots at tends to keep r the clamp in itshighest position. -I-n the lower portion of the cylinder 2 there is arranged a plate f, which may be attached V by screws, as shown in Fig. 4,-to the cylin- "r0 der.- The platef is provided with a slot registering with the slot a and extending-to the front side of the device asindicatedby Figs. 3 and 4-. The cylinder is providedwi-th I a similar slot c'corresponcling to the slot in the plate. The projecting'partg of the plate shown in Fig. 4: serves as ac'ounter-jaw and may be also roughened. 1 f

At the rear end of the piston 1, a spring 4 is arranged tending to keep the piston in 30 its foremost position. V

As shown in Fig. 1, the rear wall of the slot a'and the clamp 70 are specially formed so that the front side 1 of the clamp is -vertical when the clamp occupies its highest po- '85 Sltl'O11,ZlI1tO which itis brought by the action of the spring a. The front side 20 may be roughened also.

The'clamp 70 can perform two movements in" the slot a. One movement '1 consists of turning about the journals m and the other of moving downwards in an inclined direction guided by the slots (5. Both movements bring the frontysurface of the clamp-nearer to the surface d'forming the front wall of the slot at.

r The piston 1 with its'spring {l are locked --inthe cylinder by means of a locking'piece a "screwed'i nthe rear end of the cylinder."

The cylinder 2 is formed in one piece with wo piston is forced rearwardly in the cylinder.

At the lower side of the cylinder a similar slot 7' is arranged for the same purpose, and at the rear end of the slot '1" a knife 8 is arranged in slots t (Fig. 3), in the lower side wall of the piston. These slots are preferably dovetailed in order to prevent the knife from moving forwardly. The upper surface of the knife 8 lies in the same plane as the lower surface of the cylinder. I The piston 1 is kept under normal circumstances bythe spring l in its foremost position, in which the front surface of the cylinder abuts against the rear surface of the guide arm 3. The springl may be kept centred by means of a boss h at the rear end of the piston and a boss 0 on the locking piece u. r

In order to prevent the water enclosed in the cylinder behind the piston from forming too high a resistance for the rearward move ment of the piston, holes to maybe provided in the walls of the cylinder and in the locking piece.

In the front end of the guide arm a hole 3 is arranged to serve for connection of the guidecable leading from the stem of the vessel (as shown in llig. 7) to the. cutting device.

The surface a of the guide arm is inclined in such a manner that a mine cable sliding along the above-mentioned guide cable would move along the surface 2 and enter the opening 6 whence it enters the slot at until stopped opposite the clamp 70.

The working of the cutting device is as follows When a submarine or other vessel equipped with the cutting device approaches a submarine mine, the mine cable will slide along the guide cable to the guide arm of the cutting device and enter the space 6 as above described. Since the only mines dealt with are those whose cables lie between the cutting devices at opposite sides of the vessel, the part of a mine cable between the cutting device and the anchor will be perpendicular or will incline under the vessel as shown in Fig. 8. The mine cable will, therefore, be drawn without fail into the slot a and will move into a position opposite the clamp 70. V

' Assuming the cable'to be so positioned, as thevessel advances,the cable will slide downward, and the two parts of it above and beneath the cutting device will both incline the clamp will turn around its journals in counterclockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) and the clamp will at the same time move downwardly, sliding along the inclined grooves 01. Both movements will cause the clamp to advance towards the surface 6 of the slot at and to clench the mine cable. The stronger the pull of the cable, the tighter will become the grip of the clamp, so that the cable is gripped firmly and cannot slip down. The roughened surfaces would of course assist to prevent slipping.

The pull which the vessel exerts on the cable is utilized to cut the mine cable. The said pull causes a pressure to be exerted on the piston which compresses the spring 4), at the same time causing the water behind the piston to escape through the holes w. The cable is ultimately cut through by the knife 8 arranged under the piston. The bottom plate 7 ispressed tightly against the knife 8 by the pull of the anchor cable which tends to draw the piston downwards.

As soon as the mine cable is cut, the upper part of the cable connected to the mine is drawn upwards by the bouyancy thereof, and the "upward pull of thecable willrelease the cable-end by moving the clamp upward, the clamp at the same time turning clockwise about its journals, which also aids to release the cable.

The clamp 70, under the influence of the springs n and of the rear face 0 of the slot a will now be brought back in its original position, whilst the spring 4 will bring the piston back to its foremost position ready for cutting another mine cable.

What I claim is p 1. A. device for cutting the cable of submarine mines, comprising a rigid 'member and a movable member, the latter containing a clenching device cooperative with the rigid member to clamp the mine cable, and a knife on the rigid member to cut the cable beneath the clenching. device during rearward movement of said movable member.

2. A cutting device according to claim 1 in which the movable member is provided with a clamp arranged rotatably and shiftably in a forwardlyinclined direction in a slot in the movable member, which clamp has such a form that, under the rearward pressure of the mine cable thereon,the clamp is turned, thereby gripping thecable, whilstv the pull of the cable downwardly moves the clamp forwardly and downwardly in an inclined di rection thereby effecting a tight clutch of the cable by the clamp. 7 r

3. A cutting device according to claim 1 in which the movable member carrying the clenching device is displaceable rearwards against the pressure of a spring, and a knife is arranged on the rigid member of the device.

4. A cutting device according to claim 1 in which the movable member is constructed as a piston arranged in a cylinder, and the cylinder having a fluid brake therein arranged behind the piston.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAN HAJO SOLKESZ. 

